FL man loses memory, wakes up speaking Swedish

PALM SPRINGS, CA (WFLX) - A Florida man is trying to remember who he is. Michael Boatwright woke up four months ago in a California hotel room with no memory; even stranger, he can only speak Swedish.

The Navy veteran had a U.S. Passport and Veteran's ID identifying him as Boatwright. But he told doctors he was Johan Ek.

A hospital social worker helped Boatwright set up a Facebook page, and she discovered he'd lived in Sweden in the 1980s and ran a consulting company. He also lived in China where he taught English.

On the school Web site an essay, by Boatwright, revealed he was married to a Japanese woman and had a 12-year-old son.

Doctors say he is in what's called a "Fugue state" brought on by trauma. "Stressful events, life changing events, family deaths or loved ones deaths, recent travel or major accidents," explained Dr. Aaron Anderson, a neurologist at Emory University Hospital.

Through clues, Boatwright believes he came to California for a tennis tournament.

For now, Boatwright is at the hospital but doctors would like to send him home as soon as they learn where home is.